If you cannot pay your Council Tax bill

If you do not pay instalments when they fall due, you will receive a reminder notice telling you to bring your account up to date

If you do not make a payment, the next notice you receive will be a summons. This is because by paying nothing, the right to pay by monthly instalments is lost and the whole year becomes payable in advance

If you pay the instalment shown on the reminder, but then fail to pay the next one you will receive another reminder notice. If you then fail to pay the next one, you will receive a Final Notice cancelling the instalment facility

If you are having genuine difficulty in making payments you should contact us straight away and we will do our best to help you

Do not ignore the reminder notice as if recovery action continues, this may mean you have to pay extra costs

Why have I received a Summons?

If you have not made payments on time in accordance with your latest business rates bill, you will be issued with a court summons following reminders having been issued. This allows the council to ask the court to issue a liability order to recover outstanding business rates

What should I do now?

You should pay the amount of council tax that you owe in full, including costs as shown on the summons. If you do this before the date of the court hearing your case will not be heard and the council will not apply for a liability order

If you are unable to make payment in full and wish to make a special payment arrangement, please get in touch via our contact us page or telephone 0808 164 8610

We will still apply for a liability order, but if you keep to the arrangement you have made, no further action will be taken

You do not need to attend the court hearing unless you have a legal defence against the issue of a liability order. The magistrates will hear the case whether you attend or not.

The magistrates can only listen to a valid defence against the issue of a liability order. The defences are:

• the property is not entered in the appropriate valuation list
• the council tax has not been properly set
• the council tax has not been billed in accordance with the legislation
• the amount demanded has been paid in full (including summons costs)
• more than six years have passed since the balance became due
• insolvency proceedings have been started
• you are not the person who is liable to pay the council tax that you have been summonsed for

It is not a valid defence against the issue of a liability order, and you do not need to attend court if:

• you can’t afford to pay the amount owed in full
• you would like time to pay or have difficulty paying
• you want to make a payment arrangement
• you have applied for a Business Rates relief and have not heard anything
• you have appealed to the Council or the Valuation Office Agency about the amount of your Business Rates or your property rateable value.

If you have a valid defence and wish to attend the court hearing you must contact us first to arrange an appointment to appear. You can also telephone us on 0808 164 8610

Due to ongoing caution regarding Covid-19, HM Courts & Tribunals Service who manage the court buildings have advised us you will not be allowed to enter the court building unless you have pre-booked a time slot with the Council first.  This is a safety precaution for you and other court users.

A liability order is a demand for you to pay the full amount you owe, plus costs. It gives the council greater powers to collect the money you owe using a range of actions which include:

asking your employer to take regular deductions from your salary

• taking money directly from your income support, jobseeker’s allowance or employment and support allowance
• asking enforcement agents to visit your home and either collect the amount you owe, or if this is not possible, remove items belonging to you and sell them
• putting a charging order on your property, which means we could force sale to pay your council tax arrears, or the arrears will be paid out of the amount you get for any future sale
• applying to make you bankrupt
• applying to the Magistrates Court for your committal to prison

Enforcement agents are employed to collect payment or remove goods for sale where appropriate. If the council instructs the enforcement agent, it will cost you significant charges, contacting them early is important to minimise these charges.

Enforcement agent fees

• Compliance Stage – £75.00. Fee is incurred by the debtor when the Council instructs the enforcement agents to collect your outstanding debt.
• Enforcement Stage – £235.00. Fee is incurred by the debtor upon the first visit by the enforcement agent.
• Sale/Disposal Stage – £110.00. Fee is incurred by the debtor upon a further visit with the intention to remove goods for sale

Please note an additional fee of 7.5% will be charged on any balance over £1500.00.

If you have been contacted by an enforcement agent, you will need to deal with them directly.

You may be entitled to claim Universal Credit. Please see further information from the Department  of Work and Pensions. You may also be entitled to Council Tax Support.

If you are having difficulty paying your council tax at any time, please contact us for advice as soon as possible. You can also telephone us on 0808 164 8610

You can also seek independent financial advice by contacting:

• Your local Citizen Advice Bureau can help with a range of issues. These include debt problems and advice if you are facing redundancy
• StepChange Debt Charity is a registered charity that offers free, private, debt advice and help
• Money Helper for free guidance you can trust
• National Debtline is a charity providing free and independent advice over the phone and online